The Crimea

Probably one of my earliest reviews this actually. This band never quite made the quantum leap they were destined for.

Date: February 22, 2006

Venue: Bodega

It’s a travesty that such a good band are playing such minute confounds as The Social, and not only that, but playing to the weekend chatterboxes whose main concern is the price of the pear cider.

At least their support slot with Modest Mouse in the city just last week has swelled tonight’s crowd to almost capacity. And those who are in the know lap up the band’s rousing set. For those who aren’t – and that’s a sizeable amount – they quickly warm to frontman Davy McManus’ spasms of jerky anguish, as he tears through the best bits of recent download-only album Secrets of the Witching Hour and first album favourites like White Russian Galaxy and unrivalled crowd-pleaser Lottery Winners On Acid with all the trembling astuteness of Bright Eyes covering Pavement songs.

With a nudge and wink to the Flaming Lips’ psychedelia too, The Crimea are demanding attention.